Ray Of Hope 4 U: 10/13/10

Wednesday, 13 October 2010

All You Have Left is Jesus Coping Through Suffering and Sorrow

I haven't been well recently I ask for your prayers today that as I go for some test that all will be well...

All You Have Left is Jesus

Coping Through Suffering and Sorrow

Suffering and sorrow are a part of life. Knowing this, however, doesn't make it any easier to cope when you find yourself in the midst of the deepest, darkest trials of faith. However, when all we have left is Jesus, we still have everything we need. If you are suffering to the point of despair, let these words of encouragement help you hang on to your faith.

Don't you wish Christianity could make you exempt from suffering?

That would be great, but as most of us have learned, following our faith doesn't give us a free ride. We catch as much trouble as unbelievers—often more.

The difference, of course, is that we can turn to Jesus when things go wrong. Unbelievers might argue that we're only turning to our imagination, but we know better.

Our Christian faith consists of many elements: worshipping God in church, praying, reading the Bible and meditating on it, being involved in ministries, supporting missionaries, helping the sick and poor, and bringing others to the faith. We do these acts not to work our way into heaven, but out of love and gratitude to God.

Doesn’t matter how good you are suffering will hit you so hard that you won’t be able to do any of those things, and that dark time will probably visit you more than once.

The Bitterness of Discouragement

Another reality is, we all want things we can’t get. Maybe it's a person you're sure would make a perfect spouse, and the relationship crumbles apart. Maybe it's a better job or promotion, and you don't make the cut. Or it might be a goal you poured your time and energy into, and it doesn't come to pass.

All of us have prayed for the recovery of loved ones who were ill, but they died anyway.

The bigger the disappointment, the more your world is shaken. You might get angry, bitter or feel like a failure. We all react in different ways.

Our frustration can seem like a valid excuse to stop going to church. We may even stop praying, thinking we're getting back at God. Whether it's from discouragement or just complacency, we're at a turning point in our life.

It takes real spiritual maturity to stay faithful when things go wrong, but severing our relationship with God punishes us, not him. It's self-destructive behavior that can put us on the path to a miserable life. The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) teaches us that God always wants us to come back to him.

When Only Jesus Remains

Whether your problem is discouragement or illness, sometimes all you have left is Jesus.

When you're angry and bitter, you can still cling to Jesus in the midst of your tears. You can grab onto him and refuse to let go until he brings you through it. You'll find, to your surprise, that he holds on to you even tighter than you hold on to him.

Jesus understands sorrow. He knows about being hurt. He remembers the terrible moment on the cross when his Father was forced to abandon him, because he was filthy from taking on our sins. Jesus won't let you go.

And as you age and start down the path from this life to the next, Jesus will take your hand to guide you. He appreciates all that you have done for him through the years, but what he has always wanted most is your love. When you can't do good deeds any more to show him your love, the love itself still remains.

In those times when your joy or abilities are stripped away and you realize that all you have left is Jesus, you'll discover, as I have, that Jesus is all you need.

Father I pray for those that are suffering, that they will realize that you will never leave them, and all the need is you. Bless them Lord, comfort them Lord and cover them with the blood so they can make it through.

Today’s promise

" Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28

1. West Coast Prayerline - 712-451-6000. Access code 281432#. Meeting times daily@ 6am Mon – Sun and 9pm Mon – Fri. (Facilitated by Elder Michael Blue & Elder Wanda Flowers.)

2. East Coast Prayerline - 605-990-0700. Access code 503942#. Meeting times @ 6am and 9pm weekdays and 6:30am weekends. (Facilitated by Chris Brooks). You can also visit www.gracefam.org.

3. San Francisco Prayerline - 641 297 4600. Access code is 7792#. Meeting times daily @ 6:30am Mon – Sun (Facilitated by Sis. Grant and Elder Wanda Flowers)

4. CPR Prayerline - - 218 862 1000. Access

code is 259188#. Meeting times @ 9pm Sunday to Friday (Times are EST: Facilitated by Yvette Stoute.)

5. Urgent Prayer Request +0208 202 4863(London number) or text +7940443879

6. Emergency Prayer -1 888 820 8627 or visit www.pray4meinc.com .

RAY OF HOPE 4 U

61 Selborne gardens

London NW4 4SH

England, UK

+447940443879 (London)

rayofhope4u@hotmail.com

www.rayofhope4u.co.uk

http://rayofhope4u.blogspot.com

http://www.squidoo.com/rayofhope4u

http://www.mission2zimbabwe2010.vpweb.co.uk

prayerline +44208 202 4863 or text +447940443879

"Why Me?" Why Suffering?

"Why Me?"

Why Suffering?

"Why Me?" is the first question we ask when pain or tragedy strikes.

For some of us, the same question pops up when we have a flat tire. Or get a cold. Or get caught in a freak rain shower.

Somewhere along the way, we have become convinced that life should be all good, all the time. If you are a Christian, you may believe God should protect you from every hardship, large and small. God is good, so life should be fair.

But life isn't fair. You learn that lesson early from the schoolyard bully or a clique of cruel girls. Just about the time you forget, you're reminded with another painful lesson that hurts as much as it did when you were ten years old.

The Answer is Not Satisfying

From a biblical perspective, things started to go wrong with the Fall, but that's not a very satisfying answer when things go wrong with you.

Even if we know the theological explanations, they bring no comfort in a hospital room or a funeral home. We want down to earth answers, not textbook theories about evil. We want to know why our own life is so miserable.

We can ask "Why Me?" until the Second Coming, but we never seem to get a response, at least one that brings understanding. We never feel the light bulb go on so we can say, "Ah, so that explains it," and then get on with our lives.

Instead, we're left groping with why so many bad things happen to us while godless people seem to prosper. We obey God to the best of our abilities, but things keep going wrong. What gives?

We Have Become Spoiled

It's not just that we think our life should be good because God is good. We have been conditioned in our western culture to have a low pain threshold, both physically and emotionally.

We have shelves full of pain relievers to choose from, and people who don't like those turn to alcohol or illegal drugs. TV commercials tell us to pamper ourselves. Any type of unpleasantness is treated like an affront to our happiness.

For most of us, famine, the ravages of war, and epidemics are images we watch on the news, not horrors we go through firsthand. We feel bad if our car is more than five years old.

When suffering hits, instead of asking "Why Me?", why don't we ask, "Why Not Me Too?"

Christian Maturity

It's become a cliché to say we learn our most valuable lessons in pain, not pleasure, but if we are serious about our Christianity, we eventually learn during our pain to keep our eyes on one thing and one thing only: Jesus Christ.

While physical pain can be overwhelming, it is not the most important thing in life. Jesus is. Experiencing financial loss can be devastating, but it is not all that matters. Jesus is. The death or loss of a loved one leaves an unbearable vacuum in your days and nights. But Jesus Christ is still there.

When we ask "Why Me?", we make our circumstances more important than Jesus. We forget the temporariness of this life and the eternity of life with him. Our hurt makes us overlook the fact that this life is preparation and heaven is the payoff.

Paul, told us where to look: "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

It's hard to keep our eyes on the prize of Jesus, but he is what makes sense when nothing else does. When he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6, NIV), he was showing us the path through all our "Why Me?" experiences.

Pain Delays Us

Suffering is so unfair. It kidnaps your attention and tries to force it to look at your pain. But there's something suffering cannot do. It cannot steal Jesus Christ from you.

You may be going through a terrible ordeal at this moment, such as divorce or unemployment or serious illness. You don't deserve it, but there's no way out. You have to keep going.

If you can manage, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to look beyond your suffering to your sure reward of eternal life with Jesus, you can make it through this journey. Pain may be an unavoidable detour, but it cannot keep you from reaching your final destination.

Some day, you will stand face to face with your Savior. You will gaze on the beauty of your new home, filled with never ending love. You will look at the nail scars in Jesus' hands.

You will know your unworthiness to be there, and filled with gratitude and humility, then you will ask, "Why Me?"

Father I pray of all of us who are dealing with pain and hope today, that the holy Spirit will give us relief and hope of a brighter future.

Today’s Promise